Kick At the Darkness – Film by Amy Brathwaite

Before becoming a photographer, I worked for organizations including the UN and Save the Children in development and humanitarian responses in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Haiti. Following the devastating 2010 earthquake, I spent a year in Haiti where I witnessed and experienced the trauma of working in a large-scale crisis. I turned to my camera and my community to gather the stories of aid workers and to shatter the silence around mental health. What started as an idea, a conversation between friends and colleagues, Kick at the Darkness was born. This film is the product of an increased dialogue about safety and self-care, and received Canadian and international media coverage in part, leading to mandated action by the UN, a stronger global advocacy network, an incorporation of the film as curriculum, and countless connections of solidarity.